GNH and Alcohol – lobzang nima

The other day when I incidentally turned my eyes on a news channel (Al Jazeera)-the report shocked me. It reported on Bhutan and I was thrilled to see the Dzongs and the magnificence of Thimphu. But hearing carefully to the news, I figured out that the report isn’t worth a speck of pride as Bhutanese. It stated and figured out that a large majority of our young people are alcohol-friendly, almost sixty percent. The figure is staggering in a small Buddhist country like ours. That’s awfully bad but the report wasn’t wrong either.

Sixty percent of the Bhutanese population consists of young people and figures speak for themselves. Yet the cream of our population and the future torch bearers of our lofty vision of gross national happiness are nowadays seen more in bars and hotels with bottles before them. What can be more worrisome than the sight of alcoholic youngsters?

Its cause is simply because of the fact that alcohol is available in plenty in our country. The system of not selling or serving alcohol to people below 18 years of age is questionable I suppose. Although the rule in place, I don’t find any alcohol seller enforcing it and may be this ultimately caused the youth and young people to drink. Can the concerned authorities make this cliché “No alcohol below 18 years”, to 20 or higher? The future of our nation is at stake if alcohol consumption is rampant.